Are you aware of your responsibility

by Ms. W.M.I.H. Wijerathne

The author is a staffer attached to the Department of Agricultural Extension, Postgraduate Institute in Agriculture, University of Peradeniya

'Aesthetic Delight of Nature', we can feel by our eyes, ears, nose and our body. We can breathe cooler air as to gain a new life. We can see blue trees surrounding us. We can hear the sound of flowing rivers and sound of falling waterfalls and see its rhythm. Rain throughout the year, flowers, fruits, birds, butterflies, deers ...... What is this beauty? This is our world.

However, all these sceneries are becoming just imaginations day by day. But, WHY? It is a result of our disregard about the environment.

The planet cannot be divided into countries and protected individually when it comes to environmental global warming, climate change, depletion of Ozone Layer or slow death of bio-diversity sees no boundaries between countries as well as developed and the not so developed countries. That means, environmental degradation affects the entire humanity. Most developed countries emit more carbon into the atmosphere and pollute the world adversely affecting the poorest and the smaller countries who cannot afford to launch effective environmental protection and promotion programs.

In the recent past the much discussed environmental concerns were the threat of acid rains, global warming and increase of sea levels. The collective effect of these has led to the new phenomenon called "Climate Change". With this fact, a concept known as 'Carbon footprint' has been introduced.

What is this? It is "the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product".

Have you ever thought of what is your carbon footprint? And have you ever got an action to reduce carbon emission? Most of yours answer will be 'NO'.

But, now the time has come to think about it thoroughly.

Carbon dioxide emissions to air (and the emissions of other GHG's) are almost especially associated with the conversion of energy carriers like natural gas, crude oil, etc.

As individuals we may not be able to find solutions for global warming, depletion of Ozone layer and rise in sea levels, but, we can make a difference by reducing the emission of CO2.

At Carbon footprint, our belief is that climate change will only be addressed if each and every one of us takes responsible steps to REDUCE our CO2emissions as much as possible and balance the remaining unavoidable emissions.

In the home or on the road, daily activities cause emissions of greenhouse gases. Individuals can produce greenhouse gas emissions directly by burning oil or gas for home heating or indirectly by using electricity generated.

How much you drive and your vehicle's fuel efficiency, as well as time spent idling in traffic, also affect the level of emissions. Through actions at home, at work, and on the road, individuals can affect their greenhouse gas emissions levels.

The three main sources of greenhouse gas emissions from homes are electricity use, heating and waste. The first step in reducing your greenhouse gas emissions is to identify how much your household emits.

How we find our carbon footprint?

By calculating our own emissions, it helps to make in-house reductions of carbon emissions. 'To do it, first' estimate your current total household emissions. Then, explore actions you can take to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and waste disposal costs. Finally you see how much you can save by taking the actions. How we can do this? It is rather simple.

Do you leave lights on in unoccupied rooms? Do you take the car to the junction that is only one kilometer away? Do you waste water? All these actions affect our environment. Home owners use electricity for lighting, operating appliances, producing hot water and in some cases heating and cooling.

When coal and other fossil fuels are burned to create electricity, greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Turning off even a single light bulb can make a difference to climate change. Installing a CFL bulb instead of a normal bulb can save energy. Transportation emissions are related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the fuel and how much fuel is used.

Walking instead of taking the car on a short journey and getting more miles out of each gallon of fuel can prevent the release of a CO2. Most people don't realize that the rubbish they throw away leads to emissions of greenhouse gases.

The goods we throw away require energy to create and by recycling some of those goods you can save energy and minimize emissions. Then it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Planting tree can help the environment enormously. These are simple actions that can have a far-reaching effect on our world.

Each local action has a global effect. If all of us do even a simple thing to save the environment, it will translate into a collective global phenomenon. Governments can only do so much to protect the environment. The rest is up to us. Hence, from today itself we commit to protect our world in every minute.